Method of pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material and apparatus therefor



April 25, 1%? YASUHIRO NAKANO 3,316,024

METHOD OF PNEUMATIC CONVEYANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF FIBER MATERIAL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Aug. 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Y/LYHH/KO N M Apnl 25, 1967 YASUHIRO NAKANO 3,316,024

METHOD OF PNEUMATIC CONVEYANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF FIBER MATERIAL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Aug. 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Time (sec) Tmze (sec) United States Patent Filed Aug. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 477,807 Claims priority, application Japan, Aug. 12, 1964, 39/456,376 8 Claims. (Cl. 302-26) This invention relates to a method for conveying and supplying by an air current a fiber material opened by a blowing and mixing machine to a plurality of carding machines, as part of continuous automatic spinning operation, and to an apparatus therefor.

In conventional conveying systems of this type in which fiber material opened in a blowing and mixing machine is carried by an air current at a high velocity, the fiber may be blown off by the force of inertia without being distributed into reserve boxes provided branching out of the fiber duct. In cases where the fiber is conveyed at lower velocities, it is delivered while rubbing the upper surface of stock already distributed and accumulated in reserve boxes, thereby having the possibility of nepping and excessive accumulation of the stock due to entangling characteristics of the fiber, or of straddling deposition of fiber on the rear Wall shoulders of duct branches, which sometimes may be clustered and flown backward to choke the duct.

For this reason, the air speed adapted for pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material is so limited in the range that it involves great difiiculties to maintain such a speed. In other words, to maintain an air speed for the last reserve box of a series at the same rate as that for the first box is practically impossible.

The present invention overcomes all such difi'iculties of conventional systems. It has for an object uniform conveyance and distribution of fiber material to reserve boxes formed branching from a duct through alternate high-low changes of the speed of air current in the duct for carrying the fiber material therethrough.

Another object of the invention is to preclude the possibility of formation of cotton clusters due to deposition and accumulation of fiber on branching points, by alternately increasing and decreasing the speed of air current for the conveying purpose.

Another object of the invention is to accomplish distribution and supply of various fiber materials including long staples and thoroughly opened cotton, in a satisfactory manner without clogging of duct and With no need of altering the design of conveyor arrangements.

A particularly important feature of the invention is that, in conveying opened fiber material through a duct with medium of air current and in distributing and supplying the stock to reserve boxes provided branching from said duct, the velocity of air current in said duct is intermittently changed so that the fiber material being conveyed is decelerated or accelerated in its velocity before it is distributed.

For an understanding of the invention principles, reference is made to the following description of typical embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the essential part of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the essential part of another embodiment of the invention;

3,3l5,024 Patented Apr. 25, I967 FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the essential part of another embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are similar front views illustrating essential parts of other embodiments of the invention.

Fiber material opened by a mixing and blowing machine (not shown) is conveyed through a main duct M by an air current or other suitable means, e.g. spiked lattice rake conveyor, and is distributed and supplied to feeders A which are branched from the main duct M and are combined each with a given number of carding machines.

Each feeder A is branched from the main duct M, and comprises a stock receiving means 1 of tower hopper type for accumulating a predetermined amount of fiber material being distributed, a delivery means 2 consisting of a pair of rollers provided below said receiving means 1 for successively delivering the fiber material accumulated in said receiving means, a fiber opening means 3 such as beater, pin cylinder, or leather heater for reopening the delivered stock to a state adapted for pneumatic conveying, a feed funnel 4 which opens opposite to said opening means 3 so as to receive the opened stock, and air conveying means 5 such as blower which is equipped with an injection nozzle 5d penetrating into a suitable point through a lower bent and constricted portion of the feed funnel 4 and which attracts the fiber material in said feed funnel 4 with an ejector effect produced by a jet of air from said injection nozzle 5 and pneumatically conveys the fiber on the jet of air.

The opened fiber material distributed. and supplied to the individual feeder A is delivered thence to the next process through a branch duct B communicating at one end of said feeder A, through the medium of an air current. The material is thus distributed and supplied to reserve boxes D further branched from said branch duct B and provided opposite to respective carding machines C. The stock accumulated in the reserve boxes D are successively delivered therefrom and supplied to carding machines C.

Distribution and supply of the stock from said feeder A to the reserve boxes corresponding to the carding machines C are greatly facilitated and smoothened by giving a pulsation to the air current in said branch duct B for conveying the fiber material.

In order to cause pulsation of the conveying air current, for example, a control means E is provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, at a suitable point on the discharge slde 51 of a conveying means 5, i.e. blower, of the feeder A, or a control means E is provided on the suction side 52 of blower as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, so that the opening area on the discharge side 51 or suction side 52 of the blower can be suitably changed to cause a corresponding change in the speed of air current from the blower. A similar effect is obtained by providing another injection nozzle of blower 5 having a control means E, in addition to the conveying means 5 of feeder A, as in the third embodiment indicated by imaginary lines in FIG. 1, and by disposing the additional injection nozzle 50' in such a manner that it opens in the branch duct: B at a suitable point, and then by combining the air current from the first blower with the one from the additional blower 6' which is intermittently changed by the control means E thereby causing changes in the velocity of combined air current in the branch duct B. In the third embodiment of the invention shown, the jet of air from the conveying means 5, i.e. blower, of the feeder A is of course kept at a minimum velocity suflicient for conveying the stock, and its change-over to higher velocity is accomplished by its merger with the air current from the other blower 5.

The control means E is composed of screening means it) such as adamper or shutter which covers the opening an the discharge side 51 or suction side 52 of the conleying means, i.e. blower 5 or 5, and movable means 20, for example of air cylinder or electromagnet type or of rotary'or crank type for opening, closing or switching said screening means 10.

The screening means It} consists, for example, of a flat plate-like shutter or damper for screening a suitable opening on the discharge side 51 or suction side 52 of a blower 5 shown in FIG. 5. To one end of the screening means it), movable means 20 of crank type consisting of a connecting rod 21 and a crank plate 22 is connected, thereby constituting altogether control means E.

By the motion of the crank type movable means 2%, the fiat plate-like screening means is rocked or swung to widen or narrow the opening area of blower to a suitable degree. Through control of the opening degree as desired, a parabolic change in the air speed can be caused intermittently or periodically in the jet of air from blower, that is, in the curent of air carrying the stock in the branch duct B, as shown in FIG. 7. According to experimental results, changes in air speed within a range from a minimum of approximately 3.5 m./ sec. to a maximum of approximately 9 m./sec. and at intervals of 23.5 seconds are most preferred for conveyance and distribution of fiber material. Of course these operating conditions vary to some extent with the type of fiber material to be conveyed.

Alternatively, the screening means 10 may take a rectangular shape as illustrated in FIG. 6, which is provided with two air holes 11 and 12, one small and one large in size so that they can give desired air speeds, respectively. To the screening means 10 a movable means such as an air cylinder or electromagnet is connected through a connecting rod 21, thereby to form a control means E. By a suitable intermittent motion of the movable means 20 the screening means 10 is changed over and is moved reciprocatingly, whereby highlow or two-step changes in air speed as shown in FIG. 8 are caused in the jet of air from blower, that is, in the conveying air current in the branch duct B, and the movement of stock in the branch duct B is alternately slowed down and sped up.

As described above, the present invention makes it possible to cause periodic changes in air speed, that is, a pulsation in the conveying air current in the branch duct B which conveys the stock, thereby to alternately slow down and speed up the movement of fiber material. Thus, for example, the fiber material is blown to the downstream when the air speed is high, thereby preventing residence of the stock inside the branch duct B and choking of said duct, and is distributed and supplied to the branched reserve bOXes D when the air speed is low. By such arrangement, distribution and supply of the stock is accomplished uniformly, efficiently, and smoothly. Moreover, the fiber which straddles and deposits on the branching corners of reserve boxes D in the course of conveyance and distribution is put out of balance before the deposits develop into cotton clusters,

. by the irregularity of conveying air current, that is, by

recurrence of speed-up and slow-down of air speed, and is dropped into the reserve boxes D or conveyed to the downstream of duct 7, with no posibility of developing into cotton masses. and hence of clogging of the branch duct B with the stock. Also, under the invention, long staples and thoroughly opened fibers can be conveyed and distributed as well by the same arrangements as described above, with no need of redesigning or replacement of equipment. Because thoroughly opened cotton can be conveyed and distributed according to the invention, not only fine grade laps can be feed to carding machines but also the productivity of the machines can be improved. Thus, the present invention can circumvent all the defects l of conventional systems and can fully attain its objects first above mentioned.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material which comprises introducing a continuous current of air into a duct conveying opened fiber material from a feeding means through said duct by the medium of said air current, and modulating the velocity of the conveying air current while maintaining sufficient air velocity and current to convey said fiber in said duct while concurrently maintaining uninterrupted said introduction of air thereby to distribute and supply the stock to reserve boxes formed branching from said duct.

2. A method for pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material which comprises introducing a continuous current of air into a duct conveying opened fiber material from a feeding means through said duct by the medium of said air current, and modulating the velocity of the conveying air current while maintaining sufficient air velocity and current to convey said fiber material in said duct while concurrently maintaining uninterrupted said introduction of air by alternately slowing down and speeding up the flow of the stock thereby to distribute and supply the stock to reserve boxes formed branching from said duct.

3. A method for pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material which comprises introducing a continuous current of air into a duct conveying opened fiber material from a feeding means through said duct by the medium of said air current, and modulating the velocity of the conveying air current intermittently while maintaining sufficient air velocity and current to convey said fiber material in said duct while concurrently maintaining uninterrupted said introduction of air thereby to distribute and supply the stock to reserve boxes formed branching from said duct.

4. A method for pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material which comprises introducing a continuous current of air into a duct conveying opened fiber material from a feeding means through said duct by the medium of said air current, and modulating the velocity of the conveying air current intermittently while maintairr ing suificient air velocity and current to convey said fiber material in said duct while concurrently maintaining uninterrupted said introduction of air by alternately slowing down and speeding up the flow of the stock thereby to distribute and supply the stock to reserve boxes formed branching from said duct.

5. An apparatus for pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material comprising a feeder, a duct through.

which opened fiber material is conveyed from said feeder by the medium of an air current, reserve boxes provided branching from said duct, and a blower mounted on saidduct for providing a continuous flow of air current into said duct, said blower being equipped with a control means for modulating the velocity of the conveying air current while maintaining sufiicient air velocity and current to convey said fiber material in said duct so that the stock can be distributed and supplied to said reserve boxes.

6. An apparatus for pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material comprising a feeder, a duct through which opened fiber material is conveyed from said feeder by the medium of an air current, reserve boxes provided branching from said duct, and a blower mounted on said duct for providing a continuous flow of air current into said duct, said blower being equipped with a control means for modulating the velocity of the conveying air current intermittently while maintaining sufiicient air velocity and current to convey said fiber material in said duct so that the stock can be distributed and supplied to said reserve boxes.

7. An apparatus for pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material comprising a feeder, a duct through which opened fiber material is conveyed from said feeder by the medium of an air current, reserve boxes pro vided branching from said duct, and a blower mounted on said duct for providing a continuous flow of air current into said duct, said blower being equipped with a control means for modulating the velocity of the conveying air current while maintaining sufiicient air velocity and current to convey said fiber material in said duct by alternatively speeding up or slowing down the flow of stock so that the stock can be distributed and supplied to said reserve boxes.

8. An apparatus for pneumatic conveyance and distribution of fiber material comprising a feeder, a duct through which opened fiber material is conveyed from said feeder by the medium of an air current, reserve boxes provided branching from said duct, and a blower mounted on said duct for providing a continuous flow of air current into said duct, said blower being equipped with a control References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 500,804 7/1893 Gammons 30226 985,930 3/1911 Phelps 302-26 1,074,016 9/ 1913 Riemenscheider 302-26 3,157,440 11/1964 Hijiya et a1. 302-28 ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A METHOD FOR PNEUMATIC CONVEYANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF FIBER MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING A CONTINUOUS CURRENT OF AIR INTO A DUCT CONVEYING OPENED FIBER MATERIAL FROM A FEEDING MEANS THROUGH SAID DUCT BY THE MEDIUM OF SAID AIR CURRENT, AND MODULATING THE VELOCITY OF THE CONVEYING AIR CURRENT WHILE MAINTAINING SUFFICIENT AIR VELOCITY AND CURRENT TO CONVEY SAID FIBER IN SAID DUCT WHILE CONCURRENTLY MAINTAINING UNINTERRUPTED SAID INTRODUCTION OF AIR THEREBY TO DISTRIBUTE AND SUPPLY THE STOCK TO RESERVE BOXES FORMED BRANCHING FROM SAID DUCT. 